There are today approximately 9,000 different corporate securities which are actively traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Bond Exchange, the American Stock and Bond Exchanges, the Midwest and Pacific Coast Regional Exchanges, and the N.A.S.D.A.Q. Over-the-Counter Market. There are at least that many additional securities of smaller corporations which are publicly held but less actively traded. A securities broker might well expect to find any of these securities in a customer's portfolio and will, in the regular course of business, have to periodically value these securities and the portfolio as a whole.
The Bunker-Ramo Corporation, among others, currently produces a daily computerized tape listing of the volume, high, low, and last price, as well as earnings, dividends, and other data for the securities on the following exchanges:
______________________________________ New York Stock Exchange Approximately 2000 Securities New York Bond Exchange Approximately 2100 Securities American Stock Exchange Approximately 1300 Securities American Bond Exchange Approximately 250 Securities NASDAQ (over-the-counter) Approximately 3200 Securities Pacific Coast Stock Exchange Approximately 60 Securities Midwest Stock Exchange Approximately 50 Securities TOTAL Approximately 9,000 Securities ______________________________________
There are about 450 mutual funds, and about 2300 government bonds, corporate bonds, and other types of securities which are widely traded but are not currently on the Bunker-Ramo daily listing.
Of the 11,700 securities described above, there are about 30 changes of significance each day. These changes include stock splits, stock dividends, mergers, name changes, ticker symbol changes, new securities listings, transfers of securities from one exchange to another, or delistings.
Bunker-Ramo has assigned to each security in its listing a discrete 7-digit number. This number is known as the Bunker-Ramo security number.
There is today a second numbering system which will probably become the dominant numbering system for securities. This is the Committee on Uniform Securities Industry Practices or CUSIP number. The CUSIP number is a 9-digit alphanumeric number where digits 1 through 6 represent the issuing company, characters 7 and 8 the issue, and digit 9 the check digit.
In addition, each security is assigned a unique "ticker-symbol" comprising one to six characters, usually mnemonically related to the name of the security. This system of abbreviation is more commonly used than the other two by investors, registered representatives, traders, advisers, and "front-office" personnel because it is shorter and easier to remember.
Although both the Bunker-Ramo number and CUSIP number may be used internally, the "ticker symbol" is the customary external method of accessing securities pricing information in any quotation system, and in the printing quotation system making up the invention.
The invention was created to organize the massive data described above, to add additionl data as necessary, and to make the information readily available to investment dealers, stockbrokers, banks, investment advisers, mutual funds, pension fund managers, individual investors, and any others having a need to value one or more securities portfolios from time to time.
Using the new technique of computer "time-sharing", the invention makes use of the Service Bureau Corporation's National Time-Sharing System to centralize the securities data described above and the computer programs comprising the invention. Thus the system is made available as necessary to multiple simultaneous users across the nation.
Several ingredients were necessary to create a viable system:
1. Ease of user operation and error correction.
2. A comprehensive, reliable and accurate data base, carefully cross-indexed and cross-referenced.
3. User ability to add readily any security not contained in the data base.
4. A wide variety of report options and formats.
5. Extremely high system reliability to make up for user errors and telephone line problems.
6. Economy of operation.